Milk-and-wine lily

A perennial herb arising from a large bulb 8–15 cm across, with a pseudostem of folded leaf bases 8–15 cm tall often tinted purple by anthocyanins. Leaves number 12–20, strap-shaped, 60–125 × 4–7 cm, soft and glossy, arranged in two ranks. The flower stalk rises 60–125 cm and bears an umbel of 10–20 large funnel-shaped flowers; the perianth tube is 9–13 cm long, white with a purple median stripe, fragrant at night. Flowering falls in the monsoon season, roughly May–August.

The natural range stretches from India and Sri Lanka through mainland Southeast Asia to South China (Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan) per Kew's World Checklist; the species is also reported naturalized in the West Indies and the Chagos Archipelago. In Sri Lanka it is nationally listed as Vulnerable (VU, Red List 2020). The genus Crinum counts about 180 species; in Vietnam the variety Crinum latifolium var. crilae Tram & Khanh was described in 2012 from cultivated populations (Hanoi University of Pharmacy).

Chemically, this species belongs to one of the most alkaloid-rich plant groups — the amaryllis family (Amaryllidaceae). The bulb is rich in lycorine-, hemanthamine-, tazettine- and crinine-type alkaloids; the leaves in crinine-, hemanthamine- and tazettine-types. Over 30 alkaloids have been reported, including lycorine, crinine, crinamidine, crinafolin, crinafolidin, latifine and cherylline- and galanthamine-type (sanguinine) compounds. Galanthamine-type alkaloids are directly related to galantamine, the Alzheimer's drug.

Modern pharmacology focuses on three directions. Anti-cancer: extracts and single alkaloids inhibit multiple cancer cell lines in vitro; lycorine is regarded as a promising lead compound (2018), recently shown to suppress acute myeloid leukemia cells by upregulating THBS1 (Annals of Hematology, 2026). Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant: confirmed by a 2022 systematic review (South African Journal of Botany) and Fitoterapia trials (2018). Anti-viral: cherylline isolated from Crinum inhibits dengue and Zika viruses in vitro (Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2021). In Vietnam and Thailand, a standardized leaf ethanol extract has been studied for uterine fibroids and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Safety comes first: from the English name 'poison bulb' to Ayurvedic warnings, every part carries potent alkaloids. Poisoning symptoms include vomiting, diarrhoea and convulsions; the plant is contraindicated in pregnancy and for children, and must never replace medical treatment. In Vietnamese folklore the plant is tied to the legend of palace physicians treating royal concubines; today demand for 'tumour cures' pressures cultivated populations while wild stands remain sparse — growing it as an ornamental and as a medicinal crop is the practical conservation path.